


all the years that we stood there on the sidelines (wishing for right now)

by Lysippe



Series: The Worst Witch 2018 Winter Fluff-A-Thon [5]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, Fluff and fluff and fluff, day 5: baking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 05:33:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16867057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lysippe/pseuds/Lysippe
Summary: Hecate doesn’t understand the preoccupation with baking holiday cookies. With rolling dough and cutting shapes and decorating with food coloring that makes an almighty mess. It all seems unnecessarily complicated and difficult, especially when Hecate’s distinct lack of a sweet tooth is taken into consideration.And Pippa doesn’t understand how Hecate doesn’t understand.





	all the years that we stood there on the sidelines (wishing for right now)

Hecate doesn’t understand the preoccupation with baking holiday cookies. With rolling dough and cutting shapes and decorating with food coloring that makes an almighty mess. It all seems unnecessarily complicated and difficult, especially when Hecate’s distinct lack of a sweet tooth is taken into consideration.

And Pippa doesn’t understand how Hecate doesn’t understand. 

 _“It’s just like making potions,”_ she claims. _“You mix the ingredients, measure precisely, and at the end, you consume your work.”_

Hecate, in what she considers a truly valiant effort, does not point out that potions serve a _purpose_. That one does not simply mix and consume potions for fun, but as a means to a practical end.

 _“Oh, honestly, Hiccup,”_ Pippa sighs, throws her hands up dramatically. Her mock exasperation is tinged with perhaps just a bit of genuine exasperation as well. _“Don’t pretend even for a moment that you don’t find potions fun.”_

 _“I find it satisfying,”_ Hecate says, not quite willing to relent in this particular line of reasoning just yet. _“But ultimately, it is a practical pursuit. I do not, as you seem to be implying, spend my spare time in the potions lab tinkering around just for the fun of it.”_

 _“I’ve read your papers,”_ Pippa retorts. _“You do precisely that in your free time, and your name is attached to several leading academic articles to prove it.”_

 _“That,”_ Hecate says, _“is quite different.”_

In truth, Pippa has a point, and Hecate knows it. Potions holds the same sort of calming appeal for her that baking has for Pippa. It isn’t something that Hecate would ever consider to be fun, and would ever seek out as a relaxing afternoon activity during her winter holidays (if anything, she finds it to be quite a tedious chore). But holiday baking has always brought out this side of Pippa, even when they were young. Even when Pippa was fresh on the heels of post-exam exhaustion, leaning over the counter in her parents’ kitchen while Hecate stood primly in the corner, trying her mortal best to stay out of the way, to avoid bringing attention to her presence in any way, lest she be dragged into the festivities any sooner than was absolutely necessary.

And she does appreciate, on some objective level, the precision with which Pippa rolls the dough to precisely half a centimeter, a ruler made of what appears to be glowing pink light holding itself upright to measure her progress (ostentatious, but effective - perfect for Pippa). She appreciates the care and thoughtfulness that goes into placing cookie cutters in precisely the right positions in order to maximize the yield. She appreciates the laser focus with which Pippa mixes the icing sugar, adding _‘perhaps just one more drop of green, what do you think, Hiccup?’_ to create the perfect shade of green for a Christmas tree.

But no matter how much of a point Pippa may have, there is absolutely no way that Hecate is going to let her know it, lest she be subjected to a lifetime’s worth of _I told you so’s_ (smugness has truly always been one of Pippa’s most infuriating qualities). So instead, Hecate starts in on the same speech she has given her students for years, about the practicality of the potions field, the exact and profoundly convenient uses of very specific brews, and all the ways in which a thorough basis in the field of potions is essential for a well-rounded magical education. And it is with great satisfaction, and more than a little smugness of her own, that Hecate sees Pippa’s eyes begin to glaze over, her attention drifting farther and farther away from what Hecate is saying, until--

 _“Hecate,”_ Pippa cuts her off, very firmly and very seriously. _“Shut up and help me frost.”_

**Author's Note:**

> join me on Tumblr @ thebestdressedrebelinhistory


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